1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices and, in particular, to a knee brace pinch guard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of braces have been made available for the support of body joints which have become weakened as a result of sports activity, accident, deterioration due to age, or disease. Braces for the knee are designed primarily to provide support while enabling the knee to function during normal activity.
Knee braces are often utilized by people who have suffered a knee injury and require some means of protection against further aggravation of the knee during rehabilitation. A knee brace can limit the amount of damage to an injured knee by providing the patient with adequate knee stabilization and control. Stabilization and control is achieved in such a manner as to permit the patient relative freedom in the normal use of the knee joint while, at the same time, permitting control over the joint so as to optimize healing.
In addition, knee braces are often employed by a person having previously suffered a knee injury who wishes to actively participate in strenuous and demanding physical activity. In such cases where the person seeks knee support in furtherance of activities involving heavy running or sprinting, it is extremely advantageous to design a knee brace which most accurately simulates the true motions of the anatomical knee joint. This will minimize the leg forces required to overcome mismatched motions and generally increase comfort levels.
Knee braces generally serve two purposes. Firstly, the brace has to support the knee at all times, but especially during movement. Secondly, the brace should limit knee movements in flexion or extension within limits beyond which injury to the knee may occur. Further, movements are limited within the varus/valgus plane.
Flexion is defined as flexing of the knee from the extended position to a position where the foot and ankle is bent towards the thigh. Extension is defined as being the opposite movement. An extended leg is normally straight with virtually no bending at the knee joint.
Knee braces for providing support for the knee of a person are well known in the art. Such braces generally include a tibial shell which is constructed so as to be closely configured to the shape of the lower leg and a femoral shell which is constructed so as to be closely configured to the shape of the thigh area of the leg. The two shells are secured to their respective areas on the leg and are interconnected by some type of mechanism so as to pivot relative to each other as the knee is bent. The mechanism is usually a pair of hinge joints, one on each side of the knee brace, with the tibial shell usually being attached to the lower part of each one of the two knee joints and the femoral shell usually being attached to the upper part of each one of the two hinge joints.
Often, skiers use knee braces to provide support while skiing downhill. When wearing knee braces equipped with a rigid posterior calf cuff, the skin between the top of the ski boot and the bottom of the calf cuff can become pinched, causing pain and discomfort for the skier.
Therefore, there is the need for a device for preventing the pinching of skin between a ski boot.
The present invention comprises a component for preventing the pinching of skin between a boot and a knee brace. A knee brace generally includes an upper portion and a lower portion having a rigid, inelastic upper cuff adapted to be secured to the thigh and a rigid, inelastic lower cuff adapted to be secured to the leg below the knee. The upper portion and lower portion each include a lateral arm and a medial arm, which are pivotally attached at a hinge, which permits rotation of the upper portion with respect to the lower portion. The knee brace also includes a plurality of adjustable straps for securing the knee brace to the leg. A skin pinch guard is also provided, removably attached to the lower portion to prevent skin of a user from being pinched between a boot and the lower portion.
The skin pinch guard generally includes a molded, rounded body and one or more fasteners integrally formed on the body. A plurality of fingers preferably extend from the body, which conform to the shape of the user""s leg while providing relief from pinching. The guard removably attaches to the knee brace through the fasteners.
The fasteners may be tapered to provide a firm grip with the cuff. Alternatively, the fasteners may include a retention element for retaining or securely connecting the guard to the brace. The guard is preferably formed from an injection molded plastic material.